Boston College Eagles vs. Clemson Tigers Betting Picks and Predictions

October 28, 2020

Date:Saturday, October 31st
Time:12:00 PM ET
Network:ABC
Venue:Memorial Stadium
Spread:Clemson -31.5
O/U:60.5

The 4-2 Boston College Eagles will go on the road Saturday to face off with the 6-0 Clemson Tigers at 12:00 PM ET in Memorial Stadium. You can tune in on ABC. Clemson is a 31-point home favorite and we’re looking at a 61 over/under. The Eagles looked phenomenal against Georgia Tech and Clemson looked the worst they have all season against Syracuse. It’ll be interesting to see if the struggles linger against a BC team that forces constant headaches. Let’s dive into how this game will go and who will cover the spread.

Trends

  • Boston College is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
  • Clemson is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games.
  • Boston College is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against an opponent in the ACC.
  • The total has gone OVER in 4 of Clemson’s last 5 games played in October.

When The Boston College Eagles Have The Ball

The Eagles are an extremely tough team to gauge. There four wins this season have come over Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Duke, and Texas State. Their two losses came to 12th-ranked North Carolina and 23rd-ranked Virginia Tech. The schedule has been tough and the Eagles have prevailed with a solid record. Now it gets impossible against a Clemson team that is considered to be “struggling” when they only beat a team by 30 instead of 50. 

Boston College is led by sophomore QB and fan-favorite Phil Jurkovec. He’s thrown for 1,671 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. While this team has played more games than just about anyone, he’s still averaging 300 yards per game and keeping good care of the football. He’s thrown zero interceptions in three of the last four contests. Jurkovec can run the ball as well, carrying it 53 times for 109 yards and three TD’s. This team has put a lot of stock into Jurkovec and he’s an overly mature sophomore that has handled it all very gracefully. 

The most impressive thing of all from Jurkovec is his ability to spread the ball around. The Eagles have five different pass-catchers with 13+ catches and 100 yards. It starts with WR Zay Flowers (29 rec, 473 yds, 4 TD) and TE Hunter Long (38 rec, 455 yds, 3 TD). They’re two of the best in the ACC and Jurkovec does a good job of targeting each close to 10 times per game. Jaelen Gill and Tyler Levy each have 18 catches and CJ Lewis has 13 for 219 yards and three scores. There’s a ton of talent at receiver for BC and Jurkovec does a great job of delivering them the football on time. 

While superstar A.J. Dillon is off to play for the Green Bay Packers, David Bailey isn’t too much worse. The 6’0, 240-pound back is beyond a hassle to tackle and he’s way too fast for his size. While he’s going to inevitably struggle to run against this defensive line, he will run over any college-aged man in the country 1-on-1. It doesn’t matter what team they’re on. Just watch Bailey run, report back, and you’ll see exactly what I mean. This is a tough offense to contain and while the Clemson defense is tough, it won’t be an easy task. 

When The Clemson Tigers Have The Ball

It feels like the Clemson Tigers are an NFL team. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Ettiene have now been starting for three seasons and the chemistry between the pair is just gross at this point in the best way possible. They started last week slow against Syracuse but put the pedal to the metal when it mattered and walked away with a 47-21 victory. It was a classic case of the Tigers taking a day off until they realized even a 1-4 team can have some talent. 

Lawrence is up to 1,833 yards and 17 touchdowns with just two interceptions. He lost both of his leading receivers from 2019 and has picked up right where he left off. He’s rushed for another 71 yards and four touchdowns, using his body exquisitely on the goal line. Lawrence is the biggest prospect to come out since Andrew Luck, so there isn’t much negative to say about his game. He occasionally overthrows a receiver, but always does it where only his guy can catch the ball. It’s not a big negative in an offense that can afford incompletions. 

Travis Etienne is the train that keeps on chugging. When Clemson gives him carries, he produces. He’s only had one or two games in his entire career where you can say he struggled to run the ball. He’s rushed for 522 yards and eight touchdowns on top of 22 catches for 294 yards and another score. While Ettiene has workhorse capabilities, they’re still responsible with the youngster and give him plenty of rest throughout the game. Darien Rencher and Lyn’J Dixon have carried it 20+ times each and two others are above 16 carries. Expect 100+ yards and two scores out of Ettiene with another 100 combined from the backups. 

The Tigers weapons on the outside aren’t as dangerous as they were a season ago and it’s the one place to knock Clemson if you’re digging for a reason. Amari Rodgers is their sole elite WR and he’s caught 33 balls for 520 yards and five touchdowns. Frank Ladson Jr. is a solid route runner and he’s done a great job with 17 catches for 272 yards and a touchdown. Brevin Galloway is an athletic tight end and he’s caught 16 balls for 184 yards and two touchdowns. The receiving core might not be as dangerous as it was a year ago, but there is still talent to be had and Lawrence is still finding the chemistry with his new pass-catchers. 

Spread Prediction

The Pick: Boston College +31

There’s no way I can give Clemson 31 points against a Boston College team with this good of an offense. I’m fully aware that Clemson is on a different level and I’m not disagreeing with that. I just don’t see Boston College not putting up 20+ points in this matchup and I’m not sure Clemson is going to drop 60 on this defense. The elite safeties will keep contain and force Clemson to at least work for their points. 

While it does worry me that Clemson struggled a week ago, I think that has to do with the look-ahead to Notre Dame and that will still be on their minds. Give me Boston College and 31 points here. I don’t mind betting an alternate line on this game either as I can see Boston College making this uncomfortably close.

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Total Prediction

The Pick: Over 60.5
Final Score Prediction: Clemson 48, Boston College 31

The over is the only bet that makes sense in this game. Clemson is going to put up 40 or so points at the very least. More is certainly possible and would surprise nobody. Boston College will likely turn it over a couple of times against Clemson, but they’ll also put up plenty of points. They have a balanced offensive attack and Jurkovec is no joke under center. Give me the over here as my favorite bet in this ballgame.

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  • Easy registration process

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  • One of the Largest Gambling Sites in the US
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Jake
Jake Williams
Jake Williams is a sports gambling expert. He's been writing in the sports betting and DFS industry for over a decade. He specializes in MLB and NBA, along with College Basketball and College Football.